Microsoft has stuck to its virtual currency of Points for far too long, and it seems that the company may finally be ready to let go.

Rumour has it that Microsoft may be gearing up to ditch the “Microsoft Points” system altogether across all properties, but most notably from Xbox Live. This isn’t the first time this rumour has come up, but the timing is what makes us feel that this time, it just might be for real.

The Verge quotes sources close to Microsoft, stating that the old points system would be replaced with the use of real currency, where users would be able to purchase content using debit and credit cards, or even gift cards. Earlier last year, Microsoft had ditched using points for purchase of movies and music, sparking rumours that the trend would soon come to the Xbox Live store as well, but that didn’t happen. However, it looks like the time may be just right for Microsoft to make the move.

Switching over to real currency would be a great move for Microsoft, as it would make it a whole lot easier to conduct transactions across the store. Right now, if you want to make a purchase on the Xbox Live store, you must first purchase Microsoft points and then further use those points to make your purchase. Switching over to real money would cut out the redundancy completely, and would put a lot of people at ease. We, for one, are all for it.